Derby floods: Museum of Making suffers severe damage after Storm Babet’s savage downpours

A beloved Derby museum has suffered substantial flood damage following downpours caused by Storm Babet last week.

The Museum of Making (MOM) at Derby Silk Mill, has issued a heartbreaking appeal for donations, saying their museums are in “an already precarious financial position”.

Photos shared to the museum’s X (formerly Twitter) page on Saturday morning (21 Oct), show flood waters surrounding the entrance of the MOM. An amber weather warning was in place across Derby over the weekend and resulted in severe flooding.

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A spokesperson for the MOM wrote on its appeal page: “While the building was designed to withstand an element of flooding and our teams worked tirelessly to move as much as possible off the ground floor, water levels are far higher than predicted at the planning stage and the interruption to our day to day activity is likely to be substantial, with significant loss of income.

“As a charity, we rely heavily on donations and earned income through events and catering, which is currently affected by the flooding. We have been overwhelmed by the kind messages received online, many of you have asked how you can help.

“We will be doing a full assessment of the damage as soon as the water has receded and it is safe to enter the building. Our museums are already in a precarious financial position, we are now asking for your help to mitigate the impact of the damage and loss of income.”

The popular museum has been inundated with thoughtful messages and offers to help with the cleanup following Storm Babet. Joanna West wrote on X: “Oh guys this is awful to see! If you need help with the clean up do please get in touch.”

David Thomas said: “ That’s tragic, sad to see. - I hope the collection on the ground floor was saved. [I wish] you all well^.” And Katie Willis wrote: “So sorry, you’re a wonderful museum and I hope the damage is not too bad. Good luck.”

A spokesperson added: “If you can make a donation, big or small, we would be very grateful. Thank you.”

If you want to donate to the Museum of Making, you can do so by clicking here.